


A Modest Proposal

by atamascolily



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Heist Planning, Missing Scene, Post-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Pre-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:39:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13292127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atamascolily/pseuds/atamascolily
Summary: A lot of thought and planning went into making that hologram recording for Jabba. Lando is skeptical that the crime lord will negotiate, but Luke insists they have to make the attempt.





	A Modest Proposal

"Leia, how do you turn on Artoo's recording feature?" Luke asked, fumbling with an access port on the little droid's exterior as the _Millennium Falcon_ hurtled through hyperspace towards Tatooine. "I know it's here somewhere, but I've never actually used it before." 

"Is that why you're all dressed up today? I wondered why you were wearing black," she said, as she looked up from her datapad. "Up, and to the left a little from where your hand is. It's a small switch. You can operate it manually or ask Artoo to do it." 

"Oh, really? Well, that's easy," Luke agreed, getting to his feet and brushing a few stray flecks of dust off his impeccably fitted trousers. "And I'm wearing black because I like it. It looks good on me. If Jabba's impressed enough by my appearance to surrender Han without a fight, all the better." 

"I keep telling you that's not going to happen," Lando said from his perch by the holo table where he was playing with Chewie. Since they were safely in hyperspace, the pilots were free to amuse themselves until the alert kicked in and it was time to control the ship manually again. "Jabba's the possessive sort. Once he gets a trophy, he likes to keep it - as a warning to others, if nothing else." 

"So you say. And yet, we have to give him a chance first."

"And when that doesn't work out--" 

Luke looked over at the former smuggler, his expression intentionally bland. "Then we'll destroy him utterly. It's in his own best interest to bargain with us." 

Lando shivered. He liked Luke, he really did, but there were times when the kid gave him the creeps. From anyone else, a statement like that would have been arrogant braggodocio - an attempt to look bigger and meaner than they really were. For Luke, it was a simple fact. 

Lando's eyes flicked down to the lightsaber dangling from Luke's belt, in the same spot where any other man he knew would have holstered a blaster. If there was anyone alive who could single-handedly take down a Hutt gangster like Jabba, it would be someone like Luke, who had the same mysterious powers as Darth Vader. 

_Vader--_ Everything had been going fine on Bespin, just fine, until Vader had shown up with what seemed like half the Imperial Navy at his back, right on Lando's territory. Vader had bargained - okay, okay, all but _threatened_ \-- Lando into giving up Han, Leia and Chewie when they'd come to Cloud City for refuge. It had all been a trap for Luke, who had ended up dueling Vader singlehandedly - in a swordfight, of all things! - losing an arm in the process. 

Luke hadn't looked so impressive then, numb with shock, hanging one-handed upside down underneath the city, for who-knows-how-long until Leia had directed the _Falcon_ right to him. Lando had been the one to catch him when he finally let go, and put him to bed, before running back up to pilot the ship away from the encroaching Imperial blockade. He still wasn't quite sure how they'd managed to get out of that one - apparently, Vader had taken no chances, and had the ship's hyperdrive sabotaged while it was in the dockyard - but he was grateful. Lando's life thus far had been full of twists and turns, but he would count himself blessed if he never had to spend another moment in Vader's company. 

Given how badly their "deal" had fallen through, Lando doubted he'd get out of that hypothetical encounter alive. 

So Lando was all-in on this mission to rescue Han. He was at least partially responsible for Han's imprisonment in carbonite and his subsequent capture by a bounty hunter who had taken the trapped smuggler straight back to Jabba's palace for a lavish reward. Han had trusted him, and he'd let his old friend down. Getting Han back safely in one piece was his shot at redemption - he owed it to the man, if nothing else. 

But that also meant that Lando was reluctant to take charge, especially when Luke seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Lando just hoped the whole business was going to go down better than the debacle at Cloud City. 

But then, given a choice between a one-on-one with Jabba or Vader, he'd take Jabba any day. 

"You grew up on Tatooine - you ought to know all about Jabba," Lando said aloud, never one to lay off a point even when he knew he was unlikely to get anywhere with it. "Not known for his sweetness and light." 

Luke shrugged. He knew that he and Lando were never going to agree on this from a philosophical standpoint, but he was pretty sure that Lando would change his mind once he saw Luke in action. If there was going to be violence, fine; Luke could handle violence. But he didn't feel comfortable attacking without at least an attempt to negotiate. If there was going to be blood, Jabba was going to draw it first. 

"My aunt and uncle kept me pretty sheltered," he told Lando, his voice carefully level. Thinking about his life prior to joining the Rebellion wasn't easy - nor was thinking about why he'd left Tatooine in the first place. "We lived out in the middle of nowhere, pulling water out of the sky and selling it. Jabba and his goons left us mostly alone - not much they'd want out there. I never even went to Mos Eisley"--the one spaceport on the planet--"until the day I left for good." 

He allowed himself a wry grin at that particular memory. "Got myself into trouble in a bar within three minutes of entering the room. Ben had to rescue me with his lightsaber-- that guy ended up losing an arm in the process--"

Luke's right arm--now a stub with a mechanical prosthesis after his duel with Darth Vader--twitched, and Luke felt himself wincing in sympathy. He hadn't really given it much thought at the time, he'd been so overwhelmed and out of his element, but that really had to _hurt_. Even if the being in question had a death sentence in twelve systems - as his partner in crime had claimed - that still didn't necessarily make it right-- 

He forced himself abruptly back to the present. "So, no, I don't think my local knowledge is going to help us with Jabba particularly. It's good for other things, though. Like landing spots and all that." 

"I think it's fine," said Leia, playing the peacemaker as usual. "Luke, are you going to record that message for Jabba right now?" 

Over the last few weeks, they'd discussed this wording of this message extensively with each other, until they'd come up with something that they thought might win them a favorable audience with the crime lord - unless, of course, Lando was right and they were wasting their time. Still, Luke was determined to do it anyway. He nodded. "Now that I know how to do it using Artoo, yes." 

Luke himself was no diplomat, but he'd learned quite a bit about negotiation and leadership in his time as a commander for the Rebel Alliance, and from spending so much time in Leia's company over the years. An unexpected side benefit of his Jedi training with Yoda had been a weightier physical presence and an equanimity that others frequently found unnerving. He hoped it would work as well on Jabba as it did his fellows in the Rebellion. 

"Okay, everybody, quiet down, we're about to record. Artoo-- ready-- _go--_ "

Artoo made a little whirring sound and a few lights flickered, but there was otherwise little to indicate that anything was actually happening. Luke decided to go ahead anyway - he could always re-record if he needed to. "Greetings, exalted one," he said, bowing his head slightly in the direction of Artoo's sensors. 

( _Not too much_ , Lando and Leia had both agreed. _Just enough to show you're equals, not enough to imply subservience to him._ )

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo." 

It was strange to announce himself as a Jedi Knight, when he hadn't even finished his formal training with Yoda. And yet - it wasn't a lie. His strength in the Force had grown in leaps and bounds since he'd left Dagobah, and he'd even constructed his own lightsaber to replace the one he'd lost in a duel to Darth Vader on Cloud City. 

( _Jabba won't care about your connections with the Rebellion,_ Lando had said. _All he cares about is power. Hutts are so long-lived, there's a good chance he's SEEN the Jedi and remember them, back in the Old Republic. Maybe you can work that to your advantage_.)

"I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and your anger with Solo must be equally powerful--" 

( _Flatter him,_ Leia had said. _He's a greedy criminal, but everybody believes they're the hero of their own story. Play to his vanity. He thinks Han cheated him--_

_\--and he's kinda right_ , Lando had interjected. Beside him, Chewie growled ominously, forcing Lando to alter his course. _Well, Han did owe him money and he didn't pay it back. I admit Jabba overreacted, but--_

Chewie snarled at this, too. 

_Okay, okay, everybody let's get back to the point here--_ Luke had said hastily, before Lando's arms got ripped off.) 

"I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo's life." A long pause here, while keeping his gaze steady and his expression blank, to give Jabba time to think about it.

( _He's gonna laugh,_ Lando had predicted.

_Let him laugh,_ Luke said. _Do you know how long it took ME before I could say this line without laughing?_ ) 

"With your wisdom, I'm sure that we can work out an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any unpleasant confrontations." 

( _What if he sees that as a threat?_ Lando asked. 

Leia shrugged. _It IS a threat. But a nice one. That's how diplomacy works, you know? Both sides threaten each other - very nicely - and smile while they do it, too. Now you just have to give him something to show you're serious._ ) 

"As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: these two droids." He extended his hand towards the camera in a vague approximation of where Artoo and Threepio would be standing while the message was playing.

It was a good thing Threepio was turned off at the moment, or else he'd be even more of a nervous wreck that he already was. Luke felt vaguely guilty about the deception, but he had bigger things to worry about than one droid's neuroses right now, especially when it was Han's life and freedom at stake.

"Both are hard-working, and will serve you well." This was technically true but it was also an essential part of the rescue plan - Artoo would be smuggling Luke's lightsaber into the palace, and Threepio would be providing translation and decoy services. And perhaps it would put Jabba in a favorable mood. 

( _What happens if he decides to bargain after all? How are we going to get Artoo and Threepio out?_ Leia had asked.

Luke shrugged. _We'll figure it out. You know, improvise. The same way we'll get Chewie out of the dungeons if Jabba decides to play nice with Han._

_Like I said, I don't think that's something you have to worry about,_ Lando muttered, but he shut up quickly when Leia glared at him.)

Luke kept staring into the camera for a few moments more before Artoo got the message and turned the recording feature off. "Thank you," Luke said. "Want to replay that for me so I can see if that looked all right?" 

The little droid whistled an affirmative. With a tinny whir, the holo recording began playing. A three-dimensional, life-size image of Luke appeared in the air as if out of nowhere--a good likeness, with little of the graininess that plagued the cheaper holo modules. 

"So, what do you think?" Luke asked his friends when the message was over. "Good enough?" 

Chewie roared. Luke's Shiriyyawook wasn't great, but either Chewie was pleased with it or just wanted to get to the part where he could start ripping limbs and knocking off heads. Either way, that seemed like an approval. 

Lando shrugged. "Like I said, I don't think he'll listen your little proposal, but you've certainly given him an opportunity to think about." 

"If he doesn't go for it, it won't be because of a failure of your technique," Leia agreed. 

"All right, Artoo, great job," Luke said to the little droid. "Play that message for Jabba - and only Jabba - when you and Threepio go to his palace. Don't let the guards at the gate or any flunkies try to intimidate you, okay?" 

Artoo whistled an affirmative. Luke smiled. He found Artoo's optimism and spunk -- not to mention persistence - endearing. Artoo was a good droid to have on your side. He'd be just fine. 

There was a loud beeping noise from the _Falcon_ 's computer system announcing their arrival. Chewie got up from the table with a shout, abandoning the game mid-play. "Time's up," Lando agreed. "We'll be out of hyperspace in a moment." 

Of course, Leia and Luke weren't the type to be left behind, so they had to come along, too. All four of them were in the control room of the _Falcon_ when it dropped back to sub-light levels. The streaking stars shrunk down to mere points of light in the distance, and the wide, brown sphere of Tatooine was suddenly below them. 

Luke inhaled sharply. It was his first time back to the planet where he'd grown up in nearly four years. Even though he had seen quite a systems during that time, the sight was still stunning. 

"You all right?" Leia whispered beside him, squeezing his hand. 

He forced himself to smile as he squeezed her hand back. "Jabba's not going to know what hit him." 

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I think he'll know. You're giving him more than fair warning, after all. Like Lando said, the real question is whether he's going to believe it." 

_Well, there are a lot of myths and legends about the Jedi,_ Luke thought, as the deserts of Tatooine grew larger and larger through the viewports. _They were skilled negotiators -- and fearsome fighters when the negotiations failed. One way or another - no matter what Jabba decides - those stories are coming back, too_.


End file.
